As we approach the one-year anniversary of our 2022 Girls’ Trip to Italy, this week La Dolce Vita Travels will publish a series of posts recapping our trip last October. I do this for several reasons: as a means of transcribing my travel journal, to provide fellow travelers with names of restaurants/hotels for their own travel journals, and to plant seeds of interest for our next trip (and there will be another one).
This is an overall recap of the official itinerary. There
were pockets of free time almost daily, and while I share what my sister and I
did during these times, the truth is everyone will have a different story. Some
were shoppers, some were explores, and some were diners … there was something
for everyone.
The series will be three parts—Part I: Naples (Days 1-4),
Part II: Sicily (Days 5-11), Part III: Rome (Day 12). Our time in Naples was
the most intense; after all, it is an intense city and we packed a lot into our itinerary.
This meant we did the heavy touring the first few days of our trip, then enjoyed
the slower pace of Sicily on the back end. So get ready … we start with Naples.
Day 0: Departure Day (Oct. 4)
After a year of planning, departure day finally arrived. Seventeen
women departed Atlanta for our evening flight to Europe; one person joined our
group in Paris, and two more met us in Sicily. Our flight itinerary included a
connecting flight in Paris before the final leg which landed us in Naples in
the early afternoon.
Day 1: Arrival
in Naples (Oct. 5)
It never fails, but whenever the plane touches ground in Italy
the tears come. So many emotions! After a year in the planning, after four
airports, three flights, and one lost bag, we were HERE. In Baggage Claim we
dealt with the lost bag and eventually passed through customs where we were
reunited with Jane Stortiglione (our favorite Tour Director) who had
accompanied us on our last two trips. We love Jane.
We were introduced to our bus driver, loaded our luggage, and
entered into the insanity that is traffic in Naples. We arrived to our hotel, Decumani
Hotel de Charme (the formal residence of Cardinal Sforza until his death in
1845). After unpacking and exploring the hotel and its grounds (some people
even ventured out to do a little exploring) we reconvened that evening for a
Welcome Dinner at Ristorante Ammor—Cucina e Tradizione Napoli. Dinner was a
2-hour affair which included:
appetizer
bruschetta
with tomatoes grown in the volcanic soil of Mt. Vesuvius,
fried zucchini blossoms with ricotta, charcuterie platter
1st
course
pasta patate e provola
2nd
course
roast piglet w/ vinaigrette salad
dessert
sfogliatelle
with ricotta, limoncello
After 24 hours of travel with little to no sleep, added to the excitement of our arrival topped off by a huge dinner, we were ready for bed. Buona notte!
Day 2:
Naples Orientation Tour (Oct. 6)
After a good night’s rest and a delicious breakfast, we hopped on our bus for an orientation tour of the city. First stop on our tour offered the opportunity to marvel (and take LOTS of photos!) of the Bay of Naples. Off in the distance we could see Sorrento, the Island of Capri, and Mount Vesuvius (all placed we visited during our our 2015 Girls’ Trip to Italy). We then walked to Castel dell’Ovo, the oldest castle in Naples (and one of seven in the city). Oh, the views! Our local guide then took us to the commercial center (Piazza Plebiscito and Galleria Umberto I) after which we were given the afternoon to explore on our own.
Free time means you get to pick your own adventure:
shopping, dining, relaxing, people watching. Our group opted for a leisurely
lunch al fresco, served by a waiter who was charming, flirtatious, and very
Neapolitan. EVERYONE ordered a Margherita Pizza and EVERYONE decided … carbs be
damned. It was the BEST pizza ever. Then we had gelato and explored the Spanish
Quarter (Diego Maradona is still HUGE in Naples), visited a church dedicated to
Mary, Undoer of Knots, and made our way back to the hotel.
Later that evening, dinner was on our own, so our group had
dinner at Pulcinella Bistro where, again, we dined for two hours. We discussed
many things, including the many and varied uses for a bidet. Yes, we had wine
with dinner.
That night my sister and I had a sobering thought: we walked 17,600 steps TODAY and TOMORROW was the walking tour. Yikes! Off to bed we went!
Day 3:
Walking Tour of Spaccanapoli (Oct. 7)
I was especially excited about today’s agenda as we would be
diving into the heart and soul of Naples by exploring Spaccanapoli (literally “Naples
splitter”), the long thoroughfare dividing the city’s historic center in two.
Before I continue, let me say this: Naples is intense, and
you just need to embrace the chaos. Enter into the confusion. Welcome the intensity. And then you
will understand the magic. You also need to be brave. Our local tour guide,
Lucia, offered this helpful tip when approaching a busy intersection: “First you
go, and then cars will stop. Do not wait for cars to stop first, because then
you will never go.”
After stopping to rub Pulcinella’s nose for good luck
(Pulcinella is a classical character in the commedia dell’arte of the 17th
century), we turned onto Via San Gregorio which is known as the Christmas
Alley. The street was packed with artisans who carve and paint nativity scenes,
many with moving parts. You can also purchase modern figurines for your nativity scenes--how about Queen Elizabeth? Or Elvis? There was so much to see!
After purchasing something Christmassy, we headed to San
Lorenzo Basilica with its subterranean levels of Greek and Roman ruins. Think
of Naples as a city of layers, with each civilization built on top of the
previous one: Greek on the bottom, followed by Roman, then Medieval, and
finally Modern.
Now here comes a confession: I basically planned our entire
Naples itinerary around our next stop: The Veiled Christ in the San Severo
Chapel. After reading, writing and talking about it, I FINALLY got to see it in
person. As we entered the quiet chapel the line formed to the left, starting at
the head of Jesus, and curling around to the other side. We walked slowly around
the Veiled Christ. An air of silence was maintained, with the only sounds being
the shuffling of feet as the line moved up. I will not lie … tears were shed. It
was such an incredibly moving experience.
After our morning’s adventures we were hungry! Lunch was al
fresco at Ristorante ‘A Canzuncella and included appetizers of fritto misto (fried
mix of seafood and vegetables), Neapolitan pizza, and lemon sorbet. Wine
flowed, conversation flowed, and it was LOUD. And yes, if you are keeping track
that is two days in a row we had pizza. And gelato.
The afternoon offered some free time to explore the streets
and alleyways of Spaccanapoli. A “little” shopping was done. Some of us went to
see Caravaggio’s “The Seven Works of Mercy” at Pio Monte della Misericordia.
This was another “must-see” for me because I had studied and written about it.
Again with the tears!
That night, my sister and I again consulted our Fitbits:
20,722 steps. We basically walked off the fritto misto. And the Pizza. And a second gelato we just had to have.
Tomorrow … the Royal Palace of Caserta. We would have practiced
our curtsies, but we were tired!
Day 4:
Royalty and a Farewell Dinner
In the morning we boarded our bus and headed outside Naples
to visit Reggia de Caserta (the Royal Palace of Caserta), often referred to as
the Versailles of Italy. The palace is considered a triumph of Italian Baroque
and the garden covers 11 acres. The garden’s pools, fountains and cascades
align to form a telescopic effect which seems to extend as far as the eye can
see. Fun fact: The Royal Palace was chosen as a location for two films for the
Star Wars series: “The Phantom Menace” (1999) and “Attack of the Clones”
(2002).
On the way back to Naples we passed Mt. Vesuvius and Jane
explained how Naples has a VERY vague evacuation plan in the event Vesuvius erupts
again, which highlights the Neapolitan attitude that “you should live for today
and worry about tomorrow … tomorrow.”
A little free time in the afternoon (gelato again!) and in
the evening we had a farewell dinner in a private Neapolitan home. Our host,
Emanuela, was charming, and her home was stunning. We had Prosecco and aperitivi
on an outdoor veranda overlooking the Bay of Naples. The full moon added to the
magic. For dinner, we moved indoors to a long table where we were served homemade gnocchi, sausage and peppers,
chocolate cake and gelato. (If you are keeping count, that is gelato TWO times
today). During dinner, Sherry from our group had us all in stitches when she
kept trying to pronounce gnocchi. The 'gn' sound in Italian can be tricky.
It was a perfect way to say arrivederci to Naples. We will miss this vibrant city. Back at the hotel, we all went to bed because we had a 3 am wakeup call for an early morning flight to Palermo, Sicily.
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